NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—Filmmaker John Lacy and Rachel Bailit, an actress and acting instructor, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts on March 22.

Lacy is a former actor who just released his own film. Of Shen Yun, he said: “It’s breathtaking. Really inspiring. I love seeing all the movement and the choreography. Just the joy on the performers’ faces. It’s really special. It’s a nice education.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists and quickly became the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture.

As a filmmaker, Lacy noticed the back screen worked well with the dances. “We were just talking about the integration with the back screen, and the creative process: the back screen and the going back and forth. It’s very good. It’s very impressive.”

Bailit also liked the back screen. “The backdrop and it’s just clever the way all the pieces work together. The storytelling. It’s like the story. The storytelling. You’re watching a video game and then you’re watching a theater performance. It’s just so many different things for so many people.”

The first image touched his heart. “The opening image with [the dancers] standing in the mist. A beautiful presentation. I have tears in my eyes,” he said. “It was gorgeous. You weren’t expecting it. The curtain came up and you just see this image. All we’ve seen are Instagram videos and advertisements. Then you see this up close, and we’ve got great seats. It was really breathtaking.”

Lacy was amazed at the dancers’ skills. “They’re genius. Very athletic,” he said.

Bailit taught in Shanghai at the Shanghai Theater Academy. Of Shen Yun’s performance she said: “I loved it. It was beautiful. It’s such a surprise. Every act is so different. It’s a different story. There’s a lot of storytelling. A lot of history of China. I find it touching and moving. And I love all the young performers. It’s so versatile. Every scene is different. It’s like we’re getting an education.”

“I like the narrators. I like what they’re sharing with us. Because it’s informative. But I’m sure the artistic director has a whole vision for why the show is the way it is. And I bet there’s a very specific reason why it’s constructed that way.

“We were reading about him in the program. The fact that he’s been with the group since 2006, right? The very beginning. So he is a big part of the vision of the company, so it’s pretty special,”he said.

Lacy especially liked some dances. “I really liked the one who’s writing the poem. The unfinished story. I liked where he’s writing the poem and the guy came and finished it for him. I obviously loved the one with the lion and the rescue and the lair, the rescue alone.”

Lacy said he would encourage people to see Shen Yun. “I highly recommend it to anyone. Anyone in the arts, for sure, but just anyone that’s concerned about the fate of the world and whether or not we’re going to be around much longer. It gives you hope.”

Bailit felt a connection with the performers. “My heart is feeling kinship with all the people on stage, and that it’s a small world. We should all love each other and be kinder to each other.”

Lacy agreed. “I like that. Amen. I think that’s well put.”